Revolving mercury-dip current-interrupter.



847,851. l l PATENTBDIMAR. 19, 1907.

F. M. c. USHBR & G. A. SBUANB.

REVOLVING MERCURY DP CURRENT INTERRUPTER;

' APPLICATION FILED sBP1:. 19, 1905.

z'sHEBTs-SEEBT 1.

1101841851. Y RATER-'1R11 MAR. 19, 1907. 1". M. G. USHRR & o. A. sEOANE.

RRVOLVING MERCURY DIR CURRENT INTRRRUPTRR.

APPLIGATION' PILE'D SEPT. 19, 1905.

FRANCIS M. C. USHER,

OF FULTON, KENTUCKY, AND CONSUELO A. SEOANE,

OF MERRIFIELD, VIRGINIA.

REVOLVING MERCURY-DI CURRNTiNTERFiUPTEF Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 19, 190'?.

Application filed September 19, 1905. Serial No, 279,198.

V.To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, FRANCIS M. C. UsHEn and CONSUELO A. SEOANE, citizens of the United States, residing, respectively, at Fulton and Merrifield, in the counties of Fulton and Fairfax, and States of Kentucky and Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Revolving Mercury- Dip Current-Interrupters, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to revolving mercurydip current-interrupters, and belongs to that class of devices constructed to make and break an electric circuit repeatedly and usually at very short intervals of time by plunging a conducting-body into and withdrawing it from a quantity of mercury covered with oil, the revolution of the apparatus serving by centrifugal action to constantly separate the oil and mercury disturbed by the plunging body.

One object of our invention is the production of an interrupter having parts of special nature, form, and arrangement with the view of cheapness in manufacture, durability, and certainty of operation at high speeds and upon currents of considerable strength and voltage.

Another object of our invention is the provision of an additional contrivance by which a high-tension current induced in a suitable coil in a certain direction, for example, when a primary current is made by our invention, may be neutralized by short-circuiting, while the current arising in the coil at the break of the primary is unaffected. v

We accomplish the stated objects by fashioning and associating the mechanical details illustrated in the accompanying drawings, of which- Figure 1 is to be taken as a side view, partly in vertical section, together with diagrammatic representations of the arrangement of a battery, coil, and a vacuum-tube as they may be connected with our invention. Fig. 2 is a section of the porcelain or glass cylindrical center block on indirect line K X of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a top view of the center block and projecting tubes. Fig. 4 is a cross-section of one of the tubes and the glass needle-guard therein. Fig. 5 is a horizontal section on line Y Y of Fig. 1.

Like numerals are used to refer to the same I part throughout To create electrical disturbances of a certain character for medical or other uses, it is foimd that the greater result follows the discharge, for eXample,-in tube 1, of the current induced in the secondary circuit 2 of the coil 8 by the breaking of the primary circuit 4 from the battery 5 when such induced current is free from any retarding effect due to the current induced by making the primary circuit 4.

We will first describe our invention for making and breaking the primary circuit.

In continuation of circuit 4 a brush 6 is held in an insulating binding-post 7 or by any chosen clamping means against the contact-wheel 8. The shaft 9 of that wheel passes downwardly through the supportingcollar 10, secured to it by set-screw 11, and through the insulating-block l2, held in the end frame 13 by set-screw 14. The end frame terminates the bracket-arm 15, that is adjustably secured by thumb-screw 16 in the head-block 17 at the top of the main frame 1S. Shaft 9 continues downwardly through the opening 19 of the center block of our invention. This center block is formed of an upper portion 20 and lower portion 21, joined into a single block by bolts 22. (Shown in Fig. 3.) At diametrical points the center block thus constructed is provided with threaded sleeves composed of upper halves 23 and lower halves 24 inserted in the coinponent portions of the block, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. We do not limit ourselves to this division of the sleeves, which, it is thought, mayobviously be made each sleeve in a single piece. Into the threaded sleeves are screwed the correspondingly threaded ends of the metal tubes 25 and 26, each of which has its outer end closed and its inner end open, as illustrated.

Numbers 27 and 28 mark glass needleguards channeled lengthwise and placed within the tubes, as shown also in Fig. 4 and which will be again referred to. Their office is to prevent contact between the plungerneedles and the tubes.

The plunger-needles 29 and 3,0 are secured to the lower end of shaft 9 and are located within the glass guards in the tubes. It is now thought to be discernible that if the center block and tubes revolve theneedles must be carried with them in a horizontal circular path.

IOO

i and 26 and a suHicient electrical contact is permanently maintained. The stem 33 of the cup is formed integrally with it and extends downwardly through an attached contact wheel 34. The brush 35 bears against the wheel and is connected with a binding-post 36, from which a portion of the primary circuit 4 continues to the battery, as shown in Fig. 1.

The lower end 37 of stein 33 ust described is squared and engages a corresponding seat in the sha'lftdnsulator 38, which may have any selected forni, but is usuallycylindrical, as indicated in Figs. 1 and 5. The lower end of the shaft-insulator engages the squared upper extremity 39 of the vertical drivingshaft 40, that rotates the center block and tubes. as of other attached elements to be mentioned, is borne by the balls 4]., introduced to lessen `friction. Shaftl 40 continues downwardly through the main pillar 42 and is provided at its lower end with a suitable pulley 43, by which power is applied.

At the side oi the main pillar 42 and usually on the same base is the smaller pillar 44, which serves to support, first, the main trame 1S, and, secondly, the insulating-box 45. Box 45 is a covered receptacle and is provided with a glass partition 46. The box is held in a horizontal position and the partition divides it into upper and lower circular compartments, within which the ('liscliarge double needles 47 and 48 move in circular paths insulated from external objects and held in their diametrically-projecting positions by the half-cylindrical clamping-pieces 49 and 50. The clamping-pieces are ordinarily secured to shaft -insulator 38 by screws, as shown in Fig. 5. At one side of the box 45 the discharge-needles 47 and 48 appreach conducting-strips 51 and 52, that are secured one in each compartment of the box and one above the other, as shown in Fig. 1, their position being also shown in Fig. 5.

inspecting now the outer ends of tubes 25 and 26 in Fig. 1, they will be understood to contain equal quantities o'l mercury 53 and 54, covered with bodies ol oil 55 and 56. The situation oi: the oil and mercury is that taken up by those 'fluids when the apparatus is in a state of revolution and their relative positions with regard to each other are maintained during the revolution. lf disturbed trom any cause, they quickly separate, with the mercury always in contact with the metal of the tubes, and therefore in metallic connection with battery 5. lh hen the invention is brought to rest, the fluids return to the vitreous center block and are caught in The weight of those details, as well senesi the pockets 57 and 58, provided 'for the purpose.

.ln Fig. 5 it is shown that condnoting-strui 51 in box 45 is connected with the external post 59, and in a like manner (not shownl strip 52 is connected with post 6() on the oniside of the box. The wires re'terred to by numbers 6l and 62, leadingiirom those posts. constitute the shunt or short-circuitii1g path `for the undesired induced current from the coil, as explained below.

The followingl is a statement, oi the operation oi" our invention: By means ol' arm 15 shaft E) may be alined with. the driving-shalt 4() or moved out ot line, as illustrated. The vertical adjustment of shalt 9 is provided 'l'or by means oi collar 10. lith the parts assembled in the positions shown in Fig. l, the axis of sha'iit Q being to the lett oi" that el' shaft 40, the plungerneedle 2S) extends through the oil into the mercury. ln other words, the primary circuit has been made and its inductive effect exhausted. As the tubes are revolved, carrying with them the plunger-needles, there is approached a position wherein both needles are out o1 the mercury. When, hmvever, the needle 221 leaves the mercury and breaks the circuit 4. the discharge-needle has passed some distance trom the discharge-strips 51 and 52 and the current induced in the coil passes` through the tube 1. `When in turn plunger needle f() is swept around to the le'l't and is inserted into the mercury. the discharge double needle 47 has presented its points to the discharge-strips, and the induced current created by making the primarv circuit jumps the short interval as the path ol least resistance and is wholly dissipated and rendered of no ellect upon the current suhsequently induced by breaking the primary -as the parts revolve.

Having thus described our invention and explained the inode oi' its operation, what we claim is 4- 1. In a current-interrupter `lor interrupt ing the primary and second ary currents o't an inductioi'i-coil, the combination with sets ol revolving needles arranged in the paths ot said currents and havingI ditl'erent centers oi' revolution, of means tor revolving the said sets of needles, and devices arranged with relation to the paths of the said revolving needles and constructed to enable the said currents to 'l'low by way of the needles ot each. of said sets of needles during a portion of their revolution.

2. In a current-interrupter 'tor interrinriting` the primary and secondary currents ol an inductionecoil, the combination with sets ol revolving needles arranged in the paths ol said currents and having di'lierent centers o-l' revolution, ot means for revolving` the said sets of needles, revolving, hollow, conduct ing devices and movable, conducting, tluid lOO bodies contained by said devices permitting intermittent current discharges by way of one of the said sets of needles, and means permitting intermittent current discharges by way of another of the said sets of needles.

3. In a current-interrupter, the combination with revolving tubes, of needles arranged Within the tubes and moved thereby, insulating needle-guards arranged about the needles to prevent lateral contact with the tubes, the said needles and tubes having different centers of revolution whereby the needles are reciprocated in the tubes, and means adapted to conductively connect the ends of the needles' alternately with the tubes.

4. In a current-interrupter, the combination with revolving tubes, of needles arranged within the tubes and moved thereby, insulating needle-guards arranged about the needles to prevent lateral contact with the tubes, the said needles and tubes having different centers of revolution whereby the needles are reciprocated in the tubes and bodies of mercury in the tubes adapted to conductively connect the ends of the 'needles alternately with the tubes.

5. In a current-interrupter, the combination with revolving tubes, of needles arranged within the tubes and moved thereby, insulating needle-guards arranged about the needles to prevent lateral contact with the tubes, the said needles and tubes having different centers of revolution whereby the needles are reci rocated in the tubes, quantities of oil wit in the tubes, and bodies of mercury in the tubes adapted to conductively connect the ends of' the needles alternately with the tubes.

6. In a current-interrupter, the combinal tion with revolving contact-needles, of conducting devices having a different center of revolution from that of the needles whereby said needles are revolved, and means borne by said devices and arranged to conductively 4 5 and alternately connect the ends of the needles and said conducting devices.

7. In a current-interrupter, the combination with revolving contact-needles, of conducting devices having a different center of 5o revolution from that of the needles, the revolution of either oi said elements causing the revolution of the other, and means borne by the conducting devices and arranged to conductively and alternately connect the ends of 55 the needles and said conducting devices.

8. In a current-interrupter, the combination with revolving contact-needles, of conducting devices haivng a different center of revolution from that of the needles, the revooo lut-ion of either of said elements causing the revolution of the other, one of said elements being adjustable toward or from the other, and means borne by the conducting devices and arranged to conductively and alternately 6 5 connect the ends of' the needles and said devices.

In testimony whereof we aiiix our signatures each in presence of two witnesses.

FRANCIS M. C. USHER. CONSUELO A. SEOANE.

litnesses as to signature of Francis M. C. Usher:

JOHN ANDERSON, MARION W. Moss. Mitnesses as to signature of Consuelo A. Seoane:

HORACE D. MUNRO, A. R. JoNEs. 

